John Quigley

Journal 5: Challenges to Faith

1. The major idea of this section was the many challenges to faith. Our text lists such challenges like the attack from atheism, the challenge of science, and other contemporary challenges. Two atheists who disagreed with Catholicism on most issues and made their views known were Friedrich Nietzsche, and Thomas Hobbes. The second challenge to faith is the challenge of science, which is probably the most convincing arguement against faith and religion because science "provieds solid facts," while religion "is based on guesswork and wishful thinking(130). Among other challenges to faith are Scientism, moral relativism, materialism(the belief of Hobbes), and hedonism.

The first thing I want to remember from this section is the difference between positive atheists and practical atheists. The former making a conscious decision that God does not exist; the latter referring to themselves as Catholic but in reality, their daily practices, thoughts and actions reflect atheism. Practical atheists attend mass infrequently, do not get anything from the celebration, but they still use the church for practical purposes, hence the name, like having a Catholic wedding. I wnat to remember this to prevent myself from becoming a practical atheist, which is very easy in our materialistic, media controlled society. The second aspect of this chapter that I want to remember is Nietzche's idea that people believe things based on emotions and desires instead of logic and rationalization. I have experienced this many times both in myself and other people. It is frustrating when someone thinks that you're lying to them when all of the evidence points to your veracity, with them resorting to sarcasm when you point out the evidence. Remembering this idea will make me more tolerable of people when they do this, ultimately avoiding conflict. The third thing that I want to remember is the ideas of unreflective unity, reflective disunity, and reflective unity. During this time in my life, I am going through reflective disunity with my parents, like most 16 year olds are. It is comforting to know that this "pulling away" from my parents and the numerous disagreements are normal and understood by others.

Advertising, the most common and most persuasive attack from Atheism

One question I would like to keep with me to ponder is that if "we are priceless" "as far as God is concerned"(111), why does hell exist and why do some of the "priceless" people go to hell? "If God "desires human beings infinitely." why does he cast some of them into eternal damnation?

From this study, I can recognize the numerous threats from atheism, analyze them, and determine if they are valid arguments, or if they are just unfounded religion bashing. Learning about these threats from Atheism can help me appreciate my religion more.